LEGO Built a Life-Sized Bugatti from More Than 1 Million Technic Pieces—and It's Drivable

The $3 million Bugatti Chiron is the kind of sports car that makes gearheads swoon. The slick supercar can reach max speeds of up to 261 mph—not because the engine can’t go faster, but because its tires can’t safely withstand higher speeds. Now, it has some competition from a look-alike car. But this one is made by LEGO.

LEGO has created a life-sized, fully functioning Chiron model using 1 million LEGO Technic pieces. (LEGO Technic is the company’s more elaborate system of motors, gears, wheels, and other elements that can be used to make complex models of cars and other vehicles.)

Weighing in at more than 3300 pounds, the car is made with 4032 Technic gear wheels and 2304 motors. They’re not glued together, either. It has a functional speedometer, operable doors, steering wheel, and lights all entirely made of LEGOs. Ninety percent of the car is made of LEGO Technic pieces, although some parts of the car are not LEGO—the tires, for instance, are Bugatti-made, and the model is built on a metal frame.

No, it doesn’t go as fast as a real sports car. While the actual Chiron has 1500 horsepower, the LEGO version has a mere 5.3. For a car powered by toy motors, though, it’s still impressive—it can travel at speeds of around 12.5 miles per hour, though the company says it can theoretically go up to 18 miles an hour.

The LEGO Chiron took LEGO designers and engineers more than 13,000 hours to build, and represents the first life-sized, self-propelled car to be built with LEGO Technic pieces. The car was unveiled as part of this year’s Italian Grand Prix in Monza, Italy.

See more of it in the video below.

[h/t: TechCrunch]